Not Only News: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday voiced strong concern over reports claiming that Members of Parliament were being discouraged from using patriotic slogans like “Jai Hind” and “Vande Mataram” inside the Parliament premises. She wondered whether such restrictions were an attempt to dilute Bengal’s long-standing cultural and nationalist identity.
Speaking after paying tribute to Dr. B.R. Ambedkar at Red Road in Kolkata, Banerjee said she had come across media reports suggesting that the iconic slogans were not being allowed in the House.
“I’m not sure how true these reports are, but I will certainly ask our MPs,” she said.
Banerjee questioned the rationale behind curbing slogans deeply rooted in India’s freedom struggle.
“‘Vande Mataram’ is our national song. It was the battle cry of freedom fighters. How can anyone forget that? If such slogans are being restricted, then what is the intention? Do they want to erase the identity of Bengal?” she asked.
Reaffirming Bengal’s historic role in upholding democratic values, Banerjee added, “Bengal is an inseparable part of India. We have always stood for democracy, secularism, and unity. That is our pride.”
Vande Mataram, composed by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay in the 1870s and included in his novel Anandmath in 1882, was adopted as India’s national song in 1950.
The phrase Jai Hind, coined in 1907 by Zain-ul-Abideen Hasan and later popularised by Subhas Chandra Bose’s Indian National Army, has since become a national slogan.
In 2024, the Rajya Sabha Secretariat had issued an advisory reminding members to refrain from using slogans such as “Jai Hind” and “Vande Mataram” in order to maintain parliamentary decorum — a guideline that has resurfaced amid the current controversy.
